How Crafting Helped This Mom Bring Her Autistic Son Out of Depression

Seven years ago, Cate Kurowsky's teenage son was spiraling into a deep depression. Andrew, who suffers from epilepsy and autism on the severe end of the spectrum, is non-verbal. Increasingly withdrawn, the 16-year-old's difficult behavior and, oftentimes, his inability to understand what was happening around him, had become a safety concern. He could no longer attend school. "He had been living in world with people that function at a much higher level than he does and he hit a wall," says Cate. "It was a very sad time for him."

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Desperate for any and all suggestions, Cate hired a behaviorist who recommended a slight change in scenery. "We have a barn behind our house and she said, 'Just give him lunch out there — don't make any demands,'" Cate recalls.

A teal watercolor bouquet sold by Papercatz.

Papercatz

The meal went smoothly, but a new setting alone wasn't going to be enough to lift Andrew's mood long-term. The behaviorist wanted to know if there was a crafting project they could do. Going off a paper flower tutorial she'd seen in a magazine, Cate used paper punches to model the procedure for Andrew. "He pressed down the punch and started making little flowers, and he looked up at me and smiled," says Cate. "I still have the picture from that day. It was the first time he had smiled in six months."

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Andrew, age 16, on his first day crafting.

Cate Kurowsky

From there, Cate says she was "hook, line, and sinker" sure that making paper bouquets was the way to save her son. The pair would go out to their crafting room in the barn for an hour or two at a time, working on projects that weren't too demanding, but engaging enough that Andrew had sense of accomplishment, a reason to be proud of himself. He loves paper cutting and wire cutting; Cate suspects the sensory aspects, the sliding and clicking, appeal to him. Within a year Andrew was able to reintegrate into a half-day program at school.

Cate started selling their creations on Etsy, naming their shop Papercatz in honor of Andrew's favorite cartoon, Samurai Pizza Cats. Everything gets Andrew's seal of approval: If he can't participate in some part of a project, they don't do it. To date, their most popular products include Mason jar bouquets (a favorite for Mother's Day) and "floral" arrangements made from vintage maps and sheet music.

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Mother and son hope their work will raise awareness for individuals with autism. "At craft shows, special education teachers, for instance, will say, 'Wow I never realized my students can do that,'" says Cate. "People with disabilities can contribute. Non-verbal does not mean non-intelligent. It doesn't that you can't be someone who adds to society in a positive way."

Andrew, now 22, aged out of school a little over a year ago. Since then, the family's Etsy shop has become even more important. Cate, his full-time caretaker, knows there are so many individuals like him who pass the time at day programs, crushing cans and folding towels. They could be channeling their energy creatively, making things through a community workshop, she thinks.

She and Andrew spend Monday through Friday, and half-days on Saturday, in their paper studio. The young man who was once paralyzed by depression has found joy, self-pride, and self-reliance. "Doing this job, and knowing that he can do it well helps him maintain a positive outlook and stops him from falling into an abyss of self loathing," says Cate. "Yesterday we were making flowers and he was laughing — I use those barometers to say it's all been good."

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